The Effects of Incarceration and Reentry on Community Health and Well-Being Proceedings of a Workshop (2020) / Chapter Skim
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3 Mass Incarceration as a Public Health Issue
3 Mass Incarceration as a Public Health Issue
Pages 11-20
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From page 11... ...
• Interventions that occur before people are incarcerated, in cluding interventions during law enforcement, initial deten tion, and court appearances, can reduce incarceration's many effects on health equity. (Parsons)
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From page 12... ...
Of prison and jail inmates, 44 percent have been told in the past by a mental health professional that they have a mental health disorder. Brown pointed out that, in state prisons nationwide, females have a higher rate of mental health problems, 73 percent, as compared with 55 percent among males.
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From page 13... ...
Yet, many people with mental health issues use street drugs as a form of treatment rather than going to a health care provider, Brown stated. In Pennsylvania's Cook County, which houses an average of 9,000 inmates daily in jail, 25 to 35 percent suffer from mental illness.
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From page 14... ...
Controlling for a range of factors that affect health, counties with higher incarceration rates have 3 percent higher mortality rates compared with communities with low incarceration rates, he said. Parsons described a study of New York City neighborhoods; neighborhoods with high rates of incarceration had high rates of diabetes, psychiatric hospitalizations, people who go without needed medical care, infant mortality, and premature mortality.
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From page 15... ...
While most people in state and local facilities are not incarcerated for drug offenses, most states' continued practice of arresting people for drug possession destabilizes individuals' lives and their communities. Drug arrests give residents of overpoliced communities' criminal records, which reduces employment prospects and increases the likelihood of onger sentences for any future offenses.
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People living in poverty cannot hire attorneys, afford bail, or take the other steps available to people from stronger economic backgrounds. THE DRIVERS OF MASS INCARCERATION Mass incarceration is not a function of the crime rate, Parsons observed.
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Then, when people leave prison, they face many barriers to finding housing, employment, education, and health care, including mental health care. "We need to get away from the idea of prisons and jails being places of punishment," Parsons said.
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Breaking the Cycle also encourages discussions of health issues, including nutrition, exercise, and intimate partner violence. The women in the jail choose the things they want to talk about each week.
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From page 19... ...
Medical schools and associations (including mental health associations) , nursing associations, public health groups, legal organizations, and others need to be brought into the conversation, he said.
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